ABSTRACT

Given the rise of the competitor whistleblowing phenomenon and the lack of relevant knowledge on the topic, the current study developed a moderated mediation framework to examine how consumers respond to whistleblowing by a competitor company from the perspective of consumer scepticism. The results from three between-subjects experiments reveal that competitor whistleblowing could induce consumer scepticism towards the real intention for whistleblowing. Such scepticism mediates the link between competitor whistleblowing and consumers’ attitudes towards the whistleblower company. We also found that the whistleblowing timing and stated motives moderate the direct influence of competitor whistleblowing on consumer scepticism and the indirect effect of competitor whistleblowing on consumers’ attitudes via consumer scepticism. The managerial implications of these findings, the limitations of the study and future research directions are also highlighted.

摘要

鉴于竞争对手举报现象的兴起和对该主题的相关知识的缺乏，本研究开发了一个适度的调解框架，以从消费者怀疑的角度研究消费者如何应对竞争对手公司的举报。三个受试者间实验的结果表明，竞争对手的举报可能会导致消费者对举报的真实意图产生怀疑。这种怀疑在竞争对手举报与消费者对举报公司的态度之间起到了中介作用。我们还发现，举报时机和陈述动机可以缓和竞争对手举报对消费者怀疑的直接影响，以及竞争对手举报通过消费者怀疑对消费者态度的间接影响。